Improvement in burial-cases



G. W. BOYD. Burial-Case.

Patented Sept. .30, 1879.

N.PETER8. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. u c.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. BOYD, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN BURlAL-CASES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,119, dated September 30, 1879; application filed February 5, 1879.

7 To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Born, of Springfield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grave-Vaults for Burial-Gaskets and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompany drawings; and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object I have in view is to prevent the resurrection of human bodies by providing a case or vault for containing the burial-casket, coffin, or other case in which the body may be put, which will be burglar-proof, so that it cannot be opened after being once closed, and will be made of such strong material thatit cannot be broken into at any point, and at the same time will be portable and easily conveyed from place to place, and will be cheap to manufacture when compared with other devices for the same purpose.

My invention therein consists in the manner of securing the spring-catches which look the two parts of the vault together, enabling them to be reversed and the vault to be transported in one piece without locking and, further, in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the principal parts of my vault, all as fully hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved vault closed; Fig. 2, a central cross-section, showing the vault locked and Fig. 3 a similar cross-section with the catches reversed for transportation.

My vault is made in two parts-a bottom, A, and a cover, B. The bottom. is of flat rectangular form, and has a shallow upturned edge, a, running around it, which may be made in one piece with the bottom plate, I), of this portion of the vault, or constructed from separate pieces and strengthened by additional plates at the corners, as shown. The cover or top B, which forms the principal part of the body of the vanlt,'has ends 0, with straight side and bottom edges and curved upper edges, and the top and sides of the cover B are made of a plate (or plates) which is bent to conform to the shape of the ends 0, and forms the straight vertical sides [I and curved and arched "top 6 of the vault. As shown, the cover is of such size that it will -fit upon the bottom inside of the edge a, and close to such edge. By this shape of the vault it is given great strength, so that it will never collapse upon the casket contained by it, and by having straight side walls, d, it will conform more nearly to the casket or coffin than if the sides were curved.

Both the bottom A and cover B, I propose to make of wrought-metal plates, riveted together like boilerplates, and either having the rivet-heads countersunk or projecting, as may be desired. The vault also can be nickelplated, bronzed, or otherwise ornamented.

The cover B is provided at the corners with ring-han dlesf, by which the whole vault, locked together, can be lowered into the grave, or the cover lowered over the casket and upon the bottom.

To lock the two parts of the vault together, I provide the bottom A with four or more spring-catches, 0, made of pieces of springsteel bent at right angles. The lower part of each spring which rests upon the plate I) has two holes bored through it, which set over two studs, g h, said studs being passed up through the plate I) and riveted thereto. The studs g are screw-threaded and provided with nuts, which hold the catches near their verti" cal parts. The vertical or catch portions of the springs project a short distance above the edge a, just inside thereof, and have half-spear heads, as shown in Fig. 2.

The cover B is provided at the bottom of each side wall, at, with a shoulder, D, which is either rolled on the plate or formed by riveting plates to the inside of the side walls.

When the cover is dropped upon the bot tom the spring-catches O engage with these shoulders D- and lock the two parts of the vault securely together.

By having the studs 9 h riveted to the bot tom plate, 12, they cannot be reached to loosen them without turning the vault completely over.

The inside of the side walls, 01, below the shoulders D, may be slightly curved, if desired, to operate more easily upon the beveled heads of the spring-catches.

For transportation, thespring-catches are reversed upon the studs 9 h, only one nut hav ing to be removed to do this, and the catches 2. The metal vault for containing burialcaskets described, consisting of the shallow bottom A, having side edges, a, and. removable and reversible spring catches U, and the top B, constructed with straight side walls and curved top, and provided with shoulders I), substantially as set forth and shown.

This specification. signed and witnessed this 4th day of January, A. D. 1879.

GEORGE W. BOYD.

Witnesses:

E. F. IIILL, J. H. RABBI'rTs. c 

